Eco-friendly Wedding Invitation

Traditionally, most wedding invitations arrive at the door dressed in layer upon layer of unnecessary paper. Luckily you don't have to give up sending your guests a beautiful invitation to be environmentally friendly. Instead of an elaborate invitation with inserts, vellum, and inner envelopes, create a smaller invitation or forget using paper entirely. 

1. Use recycled paper and soy based inks.
An elegant paper invitation is still possible by using post consumer waste paper and soy based inks. Post consumer waste paper is paper that has reached its "end use". You can also make your own paper if you have the time and creativity. If you want something really unique, try using invitations made from cotton, leaves, shells or fabric. All of these items can be crushed and pressed into paper alternatives.

2. Plantable Invitations
These invitations are made with unique papers embedded with wildflower seeds and printed with natural soy inks. After your guests mark your big day on their calendar they can plant the paper directly in the ground and grow flowers. These papers are great to use for favors too.

3. Virtual Invitations
How will people react to a virtual invitation? If they know your stance on the environment, they will admire you for choosing this avenue. Sites like Paperless Post offer beautiful virtual invitations like you have never seen before. Use virtual Save the Dates and paper invitations if all virtual seems like too much.

4. Blog
Start a blog to announce your engagement and carry it through to announce parties, wedding date and time, etc, until the wedding. Each guest will be able to keep up to date with what is happening. Lastly, you can do a webcast or YouTube video if you are adventurous. Of course you will have to contact some people by phone if they do not use the internet often, but more and more guests become internet savvy each year.

As I always say, it isn't all or nothing. If everyone made an effort to add a couple green elements to their big day, the impact would be great!

Eco Friendly Invitation Sources
Earthly Affair
Forever Fiances
Paper Culture 
Paperless Post

Sustainable Green Wedding Reception

The wedding reception usually accounts for 50-70% of the wedding budget. The multitude of decisions to make for your reception offer lots of opportunities to keep the environment in mind. No matter what your budget, there are ways to make your reception more sustainable.

Set the Stage:

• A wedding location in an open field or park has vastly less environmental impact than a full time reception venue. Do be careful not to be too far out of town or use a rental company that has to travel a long distance. The gas in travel will counteract your attempts to be green.
• Set your outdoor event earlier so you do not have to use electricity to light the reception. It doesn't get much more romantic than a candlelit conclusion to your big day.

Dinnerware and Utensils: 

• Rental dish and flatware is used hundreds of times over it's lifetime.
• Biodegradable disposable dinnerware and flatware are available in most mainstream stores now.
• Collect an eclectic array of items from friends and family to avoid renting or disposing.

Tablecloths and Napkins:

• Use organic fabric napkins that can be utilized throughout the night by guests.
• Biodegradable disposable napkins.

Table Decorations:

• You don't have to have a nature-themed to be eco-friendly. Think out of the generic box of lush floral centerpieces and bring your creativity. You want to use items that can be sold or reused again in some other way. 

This herb centerpiece looks great and doubles as sustainable guest favors for them to use at home.

Favors:

• Favors are completely optional. You can forego them all together if you would like.
• Steer clear of plastic, disposable favors. Edible favors are always a hit! Try to find recycled and reusable favors. 
• Instead of a tangible favor, you can make a donation to a cause or charity of your choosing and let your guests know. 

Additional Links
Green Bride Guide
Take the Cake Events
Herb centerpiece from Wedding Dish

Eco Friendly Wedding Flowers

Flowers can be an easy way to go green for your wedding. According to the Green Bride Guide, about 60% of the flowers available in the United States are imported and can contain high levels of pesticides. So going green on flowers is not only good for the environment but also good for you. There are several different alternatives for going green:

Beautiful single bloom bouquets reduce the amount of flowers needed.

1. Buy organic flowers. These flowers are grown as nature intended without pesticides.
2. Use seasonal and local flowers. Here is a handy seasonal flower chart. Local flowers don't have to be shipped around the world before reaching your wedding, therefore reducing the carbon impact of your floral designs.
3. Don't like the flowers available in your wedding season? You can grow your own flowers and trick them into thinking it is spring or summer by what is called forcing bulbs.
4. Bouquets can be beautiful with a limited number of seasonal flowers or just one flower. Here are some beautiful single bloom bouquets like the ones above.
5. Use potted plants like topiaries, bamboo, or lavender as reception centerpieces instead of cut flowers. You will help the enviroment, save money, and have a plant for you or your guests to take home at the end of the night.
6. When choosing your florist, find one who already has a working relationship with a flower market that provides locally grown flowers. Let your florist know you would like eco-friendly flowers and most florists will do their best to accommodate your requests. 

Additional Links

Green Bride Guide

Seasonal Flower Chart

How to force bulbs

Take the Cake Events

How to pick a wedding venue?

How do you decide where to have your wedding? Even if you have narrowed it down to a city or region, there are often hundreds of beautiful venues to pick from. Here are some quick tips to help you pick the perfect venue for your occasion and keep the environment in mind too.

The average couple spends about 40% of their budget on the reception, according to The Green Bride Guide. You want to be sure you make the best decision when you are putting down that kind of money. Choosing an eco-friendly location can have a huge impact on the environmental footprint of your wedding. It will most likely be the most environmentally impactful part of your whole wedding. 

The great thing about planning a green wedding is that you don't have to do everything. Every little bit helps.

Beautiful wedding ceremony at The Twenty Mile House

Here are some questions to ask yourself: 



1. How many people should we invite? 

The smaller the guest list, the less environmental impact your wedding will have. 
2. Should we have an outdoor or indoor wedding? 

Being green does not mean your wedding has to be outdoors--many green weddings can be held at environmentally friendly indoor facilities. 
3. What season do I want to be married? 

The season will dictate your location, the food you choose, the flowers and the decorations. By using the season to your advantage, you will be able to save money and make your wedding unique. 

 
4. What day of the week and what time of day works for my wedding? 
Will people carpool or  stay overnight nearby?
5. Should I have everything in one place or have more than one venue? If you have everything is one place, you will save money. It will simplify the planning process, decrease the cost of your wedding budget and have less of an impact on the environment. 
6. What part of the country should we be married? Pick a location that is close to the majority of your guests. This will insure a high guest attendance rate and decrease the travel expenses (and therefore, the environmental impact) for your guests. 
7. What about a destination wedding? According the The Wedding Report, about 10% of couples choose a destination wedding. Most destination weddings are not eco-friendly because they are far from home (which means travel for the guests) and guests may not be able to attend because of the distance and expense involved. If you have your heart set on a destination wedding, look for eco-retreat options and try to use as many local products as possible.

Use these tips to help pick and choose what will work best for you.

Additional Links
Twenty Mile House

Green Bride Guide

Take the Cake Events

What is a green wedding anyway?

Green weddings used to be alternative or "hippie" weddings. Today, weddings with eco friendly touches are becoming more popular with mainstream couples. Environmentally conscious couples are choosing to incorporate green aspects into all parts of their big day to help the earth and often their pocket book.
So you ask, how do I "green" my wedding. Here are some easy ways to make your wedding a more sustainable event.

1. Part of having a green wedding is conserving resources, which means re-using items like wedding dresses, vintage wedding rings and eclectic decorations, as well as saving money because you will not be purchasing items just for the wedding. For example comprise your centerpieces of items you will later use in your home or gift to your bridal party and let your bridesmaid pick out their own dress that they will truly wear again.
2. Support green businesses that will work with you on your wedding specifics. Pick vendors who have the same eco goals as you; a caterer who uses locally grown produce, planner who drives a low fuel, hybrid, or electric vehicle, a photographer who uses eco friendly materials for your prints.
3. Lastly, you will be able to educate others on why having a green wedding is beneficial to everyone. Why not use your big day to contribute to the greater good?

Not only will you be saving energy, conserving resources and decreasing pollution for the environment but your guests will see that a green wedding can be just as beautiful, maybe more beautiful, than a regular wedding.

Take the Cake Events is becoming a certified green wedding planner through Green Bride Guide. Check back for more blogs on how to add a little green to your big day.

Additional Links

Green Bride Guide

Take the Cake Events